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last two decades. Shaggy was born Orville Richard Burrell on October 22, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica, and was nicknamed after the Scooby-Doo character. At age 18, he joined his mother in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York, and soon began performing with the local Jamaican-style sound system Gibraltar Musik. Shaggy built a name for himself with several independent releases and a duet with Maxi Priest was all he needed to score his first record deal with Virgin Records. His debut album, Pure Pleasure, was released in 1993, and included many early Shaggy songs like "Oh Carolina" and "Bullet Proof Buddy." The disc made Shaggy a star in Europe and he went on to conquer the United States with went on to conquer the U.S. with his next album, 1995's Boombastic, which went platinum, nearly reached the R&B Top Ten and garnered Shaggy a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. The title tune was also used as a theme for a popular Levi's commercial. Shaggy followed his breakout success with an extensive world tour, consolidating his European following, and recorded a hit duet with Maxi Priest, "That Girl."
Although Shaggy's star would fade somewhat in the late 90s, he had a major comeback in 2001, with the worldwide number-one hit singles "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel," the latter of which was built around two song samples - Merrilee Rush's 1968 hit "Angel of the Morning" (which was remade in 1981 by Juice Newton), and The Steve Miller Band's 1973 hit, "The Joker." The album Hot Shot, from which these tracks came, hit #1 on the Billboard 200. HIs 2002 release Lucky Day, and the 2005 album Clothes Drop failed to match Hot Shot's success, but Shaggy continued to maintain a high profile, particularly in Jamaica. In October 2007, he was awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander. Even if he's off the charts temporarily, Shaggy's indefatigable spirit and musical talent can never be held down for long and he is likely to add to his great legacy when we least expect it.